Friday, May 2, 2014

They call me a "Plastic Fijian"

I love my culture right down to the parts I am clueless about. Of course I am ashamed of my failed attempts of understanding something that I claim to derive my identity from. But as I grew up a little bit, I realised that maybe my cultural insecurities are a result of a socio-cultural standard and pressures that belittles those who lack knowledge. I would squirm at the label “plastic” or “inauthentic”, but who was I to say any different. There are contemporary versions of my culture that exist in bodies, emotions and values that move in sync with the rapidity of globalisation and technology. In result a cultural hybridity emerges. A merging of traditional & modern worlds if you will. What is birthed are people like me, “plastics”. People who are filled with cultural conviction but physically do not seem to reflect it. This is not an excuse for ignorance. While coming to terms with these processes and possibilities, I’ve come to the revelation that though I’m not as “authentic” as society claims, whatever that means. My identity truly, is in Christ. I am a Christian first & a Fijian second.